The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-01-29
THE CLAIM OF THE RENOS
To THE OWNERSHIP OF ALL THE
LAND IN PROkIA.
How They Trace Their Heritage,
and on what They Base
Their Claim,

Their Claim.
PIrTsBURG, Pa, January %. -
meeting of the Reno or Reneult heirs
layirg claim to 10000 acres OF land
in Missouri aud Illinois on and nenr
the site of Peoria, valued at 0,000,-
600, will he held on Saturday, f. bru-
airy 9th, at the Office of Justice Taos.
M. Marshall. Marshall Reno, one OF
the heirs, who is taking a leadiog pant
in the matter, was seen by a reporter
this afternoon. He sal | that so far he
bad discovered sixty three heirs, re-
siding at different points in The C un.
try, all the way from Maine to Texas
Fully forty of them reside in this and
the adjoining county of Beaver, being
principally the descendants OF the Rsv.
Reno, who ssttied at Beaver in
1899. Most OF the heirs have
been able to trace their lineage be-
yond a doubt. The Rev. Reno came
to this country from France, and
was one Of the descendants of Philip
Francois Rsnsult, to whom the Hill
nois and Missouri property was granted
by the French Government in 1928
as a recognition of bis services in ex-
plorjpg the Ohio, Tennessee and Cum
Der aud Valleys.
Reuault in l7l6 organised in France
the Company st. Phillip, for the pur.
pose OF searching Tor gold and silver
in the comparatively new Ell Dorado
of the West. He employed 1000 French
miners, with whom he set Fail fer st.
Domingo. There he purchased 500
slaves, and in 1920 arrived with them
in that part of the West where Illinois
o is. He landed at the place now
known as Ksskaskla, Monroe county,
ILL.,, and built a village and called it st.
Phillips, which long since ceased to
exist.
No sooner WAS he comfortably set.
tied than search parties were sent
east, west, north and south to prose-
cute the hunt after the prec on.
meta's The quest was unsuccessful,
but Renault discovered some vsluab e
mines. He built a small furnace and
commenced to smelt lead, from which
he made a fortune. The product was
carried upon pack horses through the
Mississippi Valley to New Orleaus,
whence it wasshipped to Frame. The
report he gave to the French Govern
ment of the country explored bv him
8, encouraged immigr alton that Louis
XVI, then on the throne, granted him
four tracts of land ia Illinois and Mis-.
souri, sggregating 167 square miles, in
t acts of elghty.seven square miles,
twenty-five and a halt square miles,
thirty six square miles and eighteen
square miles. On the largest of these
tue present city of Peoria, ILL.,, with a
population of $4,000, is located. This
pot fronts four aud a half miles on
the Peoria river, and extends back
ward into the country for eighteen
miles.
When the Louisiana purchase was
made by the United States from France
one of the conditions of the sale was
that all these grants made by France
were to be recognizs I'D by the United
States. Surveys were made aud a
record Of the same with a map is on
file at the Government Land Office in
Washington, and that part, including
the city of Peoria, is marked "The
Renault Tract" on the map of Monroe
county, III.
During the past fifty years at least
four attempts have been'made to force
the present teDatts to pay for their
land. Ia Que of these a sale was an-
nounced to take place in Pali', France.
but nothing yer came of it, though it
was literally advertised, and the time
set for it. At three other different
times acts of Congress were intro
ducsd, bat for some reason failed to
pass, though t1e business Of the claim
set up by the heirs wss almost uni
versally acknowledged. Senator John
Allison, Of Iowa, VINO was on the Com.
mittee on Claim, has written to
various of the heirs, advising them OF
the business oil the claim aud urging
them to prosecuts it. The SecreI airy
of the Interior has written to Marshall
Reno, etating that full and accurate
accounts of the property are on record
in his office, and that he is pre-
pairing copies of the same, whith
will be for warded in a few
days. In 1744, having accumulate
considerable money, Renault sold
his slaves to the French Government
and returned to Paris, where he lived
a gentleman of leisure. A number OF
his descendants came to this country.
The spelling of the name Rensult,
euphoniously Reno, was changed to
the present form, though some OF the
families to the present day have re,
tanned the original spelling.